Chapter 210 – 20. Interlude (Complete)
Even in the month of flowers and birds, the blue and white sky above the frozen ground is clear. Amid the dazzling glitter of snow, the soft clouds seem to clump together, but soon, like petals that bloom on a spring day, they are fleetingly scattered.
The world permeated with the hue of the sunset is reborn as a bright and warm shape, like a fireplace flame flickering in the dark. When the snow piled high on the bare tree branches falls, you can feel the finite flow with the crisp sound.
As for the noisy city scene, the limestone outer wall and the window in it stood out in the distance under the red-brown brick roof. It was heartwarming that it had changed drastically from the days when frozen reeds and straw thatched houses were all in the desolate gray castle.
A cold wind blew in the snow-covered fields beyond the fortified walls, foreshadowing the night. At the end of a day that sometimes feels fleeting, it gave a mysterious feeling with a reddish purple glow. It reminded us of the beauty that we forget first when we are hit by busy daily life.
The scenery that unfolded like a painting gradually changed to the color of the water in the deep sea as if submerged in depth. The sun disappeared after passing the peak of the snowy mountain and lost its cozy energy, but the splendor reached its peak. Dusk like water that started to dissolve dye, gradually.
The warm side of the divided world promised tomorrow, and the cold other side looked forward to today.
Standing on the rooftop observatory in the winter residence, the two admired the brilliant aurora of the night sky. At the end of a slow and leisurely walk, I realized the status of Mother Nature and contemplated it as one with nature.
“When I was little, there was something about this polar light among the stories my nanny Anais told me before going to bed. It is said that if you look at the scene as if it is fluttering in green blue, you will forget the shadow cast in your heart. Even then, I imagined the sky studded with jewels like fruits in my head.”
Her golden hair blew in the wind like a field of barley at harvest time. Brilliantly flickering inside the wall was like waves rolling over the milky white sandy beach. With her beautiful face and lithe gesture, I admired Madame Le Moin, who listened quietly.
“However, her pursuit of wealth and honor brings suffering, not relief. If it weren’t for the richness of life, people would surely have pursued better values. Of course, that doesn’t mean that being generous is meaningless.”
Oriane’s eyebrows, which were as long as ears of rice, drooped gracefully. The clear pupil was hidden under it for a while, then revealed. And as I put the man standing tall like a bell tower in my field of vision, I realized my trust and affection for him.
“Even if precious jewels were hung like grains, would they be able to catch up with the thrill of this scenery? After all, it’s just a shiny stone. No matter how much you place a high value on a lustful heart, nothing will change.”
Her man tucked her hair, wildly messed up like her mane, behind her and tied her with a string. So, the scars that ran across her entire face from her widened forehead gave off a very formidable impression. Even so, her eyes, dyed in her hair, were still innocent, and her plain black tunic and light brown trousers gave a glimpse of her frugal lifestyle.
“Sometimes life is impermanent. Drunk with futility, they suffer without knowing what to do, and sometimes fall into the abyss of destruction themselves. Me and my wife in my previous life were like that, and Lucienne was like that too. It was a time when everything in the world felt so harsh.”
The sight of Baron Romuald looking forward with his arms folded against the cold wind was really cool. This man, who fought against his cruel times with his upright spirit and earned countless scars, was a knight who endured his fall at the end of my pleas.
“But Orianne, dear Madame Lemoyn.”
Rom, who lowered her arms like a shy boy, stretched her hand out to her side. There she spat white steam little by little and cuddled with her wife, her cheeks red from the cold. Even though she shared all kinds of fornication and desire for him, she confessed freshly.
“Not anymore.”
“… Rom.”
Finally, turning her head to the side, the knight from the past looked at the wife he had longed for. She ended her words by exchanging glances with a woman who was so beautiful that even the rising moon was hidden, and even the flowers in full bloom were ashamed.
“This is the very scenery I wanted to show you, determined to fall at the edge of despair. It is said that Mukhali’s great warrior who walked the bloody road always cheered me up when I looked up whenever my life stained with regret was too much for me.”
Years passed. The two people who lived in a lot of things have now thrown off the moral yoke that restrained me. Even if we lose our integrity because we couldn’t see each other haggard, we decided to find happiness even if we lost our integrity, and we’ve reached today.
“Strictly speaking, I have no memory of my previous life with you. But I think I can understand why I fell in love with the man I picked as my daughter’s husband back then.”
Oriane quietly nodded her head and smiled lightly. She was from Aquitaine, the king’s daughter-in-law, and she must have had a lot of sympathy for the wandering knight. She must have wanted to take care of him who was hit and endured every day despite her ability.
“Oriane Aquitaine, she probably projected herself onto the knight Romuald Dior. If she was in the same situation, she would have been free to empathize and give her compassion. Then I suddenly realized that the man I fell in love with was holy unlike me…”
I felt ashamed. It didn’t stop there, it reached the point of jealousy. Such jealousy led to the Marquis’s wife handing over a strange sensual novel to her son-in-law, the knight.
“What actions did he take when he saw that the relationship he had always regarded as being on the same level as himself soared high? People are creatures who are more happy when they see others fail than when they achieve success themselves.”
Orianne’s slender hand gripped her husband tightly. The words she spoke from her lips redder than her flushed face were not self-reproach. These were the words I had to convey to the man I had corrupted, against the background of the aurora borealis rolling up and down like a windbreak on a nighttime night when the wind was blowing.
“Yes, I think it was me who destroyed the knight who did not stop his noble steps even in such a cruel era. But if you ask Orianne, the wife of Baron Ardennes, if she regrets it, she will say no with a single word.”
Lemoang and Ardenne’s she affirms the fall.
“If you are a person who is tired of hypocrisy, you will be in a hurry to hide your ugly desires. But I can confidently confess. I loved you so much that I wanted to keep you by my side, so I brought you down to the same level.”
Throwing off pretense, willing to risk notoriety.
“I will take responsibility, but I have no intention of turning back. So I will continue to tell you who have come to love me. In the future, please give me and other women this brilliant aurora-like moment. Please do not lose that pure essence, but become a wonderful villain.”
It is not a contract. So is the deal. The couple standing next to each other on the railing above the mansion are not bound by such means. So Oriane pointed from place to place in the city like a girl befitting her boy-boy beside her.
“And please don’t forget. That there is not only the night sky in our frozen land.”
I conveyed the sincerity that I was so eager and desperate.
“The empty government building next to the square over there is for my sister to use as a vacation home. On the street right in front of the North Gate, a famous apparel maker from the capital is opening a boutique. Also, we are trying to develop the road all the way to the eastern wall into a marketplace full of delicious food.”
Rome, who lost her gaze to her with her dazed, bewitched face, immediately smiled. She responded, feeling what her true happiness was in the bright voice of her wife. She exchanged countless words, saying that she should respond like this when a sense of futility comes to her inevitably due to the limitations of human nature.
“The lingering aftertaste of everyday life, which changes little by little every day, will welcome us, Rom.”
“And what if even that doesn’t soothe the empty feeling?”
“Playing dirty, what.”
Her wife, who smiled like a tomboy, soon shed her pretense and transformed into her old lady. With a benevolent expression on her face, she whispered to comfort her husband, who was swayed by her delusion.
“Then rest assured, don’t worry.”
“… Orian.”
“No matter what future comes, our hearts will always be together.”
I love you
* * *
In the witch’s secret room, a writing instrument with feathers moved on the desk with a large sheet of parchment spread out. I wrote while listening to the voice in the crystal sphere delivered by a skilled Ganja from a fairly far away capital. Even relying on a small burning candle, she steadfastly carved the master’s handwriting.
‘I want to ask why they are afraid of the light.’
‘Is that what I’m really curious about?’
‘I’d like you to assume that’s the case and answer.’
‘Just as no one was born with a life determined by themselves, what should we do with such a nature?’
Crystal spheres that contain conversations taking place in the darkroom of the central famous house are therefore sky-high in price. Even someone who boasted that he could assassinate royalty would not have been able to obtain this information without the morbid vigilance of Arsene Dior, the Dark Lord.
‘I wonder if he doesn’t want to look at himself because he’s ashamed of his appearance.’
‘Unexpectedly, your tongue is sour. After all, it’s nothing new when you think about your childhood.’
‘I can only admire the loyalty of those who follow. If you worship a coward who can’t even reveal himself, it must mean that he’s quite single-minded, or that there is an existence that can orchestrate it.’
‘Light is originally a selfish symbol. They dazzle others unwillingly and then arbitrarily prevent them from forgetting the feeling. It may be incomprehensible with the bishop’s logic, but it’s natural that this Arsene sees it as reasonable.’
Coincidentally, the owl she requested was an owl who couldn’t speak human language.
‘There are a lot of rumors these days about Baron Daryl’s son-in-law of the Lemoang family.’
‘… Let’s put an end to the hypocritical pity. You should know that the illegitimate son is not my brother.’
‘There are things you can only see as you get older. I don’t know if I can describe seeing you in this cancer, but I am. As if she was wandering in a labyrinth, it seems that the moment to clear away the confused past is just ahead.’
‘I’m afraid it might be harmful. If you try to show off the same skills as before at that age, you’re bound to get sick.’
The clear lake garden is vast. Owls, which are nocturnal, hunt among the leaves at night to hunt prey. And when the day comes, it sits on a suitable tree branch and goes to sleep. After thoroughly examining the surroundings to make sure it is safe, and having a lot of hearing.
Great action for a Ganja.
It was also something that would bring joy. It’s not because the witch even interpreted the meaning hidden in the conversation between the Dark Lord and the Bishop. In fact, if you know it, the simple principle is a question and answer that borrows the first letter of the dialogue.
Why do you follow him?
For the light of my life.
After writing two sentences, the witch touched the crystal ball again and listened to the rest of the conversation.
‘Sometimes you have to endure such misfortunes. I did that for half a century.’
‘Ah, is that so.’
‘Preferably, it would be better if you listen carefully.’
‘What did you say?’
The ferocious shooting of those who seemed to have an argument at any moment.
‘It’s done. The purpose of today’s visit is not to have a petty argument.’
‘Concubine, cool, I don’t think that’s something a smart person would say…’
‘It seems like I’m getting exhausted day by day.’
Therein lies the genuine concern.
‘Please take care of yourself…’
‘You know, Bishop Bishop.’
‘Being kind is also in line with the saying that you have a lot to lose soon. That’s why I hope you don’t touch other people’s misery so insensitively.’
Suddenly, the witch, who had stopped regenerating her voice, was deep in thought. She didn’t let down her guard to see if there was any other meaning besides my deciphering. She wrote.
Is it time?
No, there are spies.
Even if they weren’t sure of their relationship, it was clear that they were waiting for something. The witch let out a small sigh and activated the crystal ball again. She continued until the two men’s conversation was over, convinced that there were no other hidden intentions.
‘I want to ask if you remember Carmen Zafiro.’
‘Trianon, in the garden of the palace, she fascinated everyone including the former king.’
‘I’d like to ask if you also remember the actress who uses the stage name Rin.’
Katrin.
‘He was a friend with a strange atmosphere.’
Grave.
‘Even among the royal family and people comparable to him, there was no law that made me feel intimidated. She was a beautiful woman who was able to dazzle everyone in the place.’
‘She was noisy in the court every day to witness her performance.’
Palace.
‘No one can forget that sacred gesture, her expression.’
‘It is a valuable thing. It always fades away. Even if it’s a boring sermon, I hope you’ll listen. After losing it, it’s too late. Maybe you let go of everything because you’ve already been through it, but for you, it’s still…’
Sanctuary.
‘If it’s beauty, I know it all too well.’
‘I’ve seen it myself. That existence that is like the light of my life.’
Yet.
‘Sometimes, I too wanted to live without knowing anything.’
At the time.
‘No matter how much I cry, will anything change?’
‘Nirgo Niler, even hundreds of times!’
‘You know best that it’s never coming back.’
No.
“… !”
The witch who twitched her eyebrows inadvertently rose from her seat. She rolled up the parchment on the desk and burned it with a candle, then she opened the closed door with a flurry of ash powder. She opened her mouth to face the servant who had brainwashed her one day to assassinate her master.
“What about Arno?”
“I know you went hunting.”
“Call me right away. Tell them that the darkness has betrayed them.”
“Yes, Kenna.”
It was the end of the interlude.
